Seymour Crawford
Question:95 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Defence if he will appoint an ombudsman to the Defence Forces; and if this is still Government policy. [8862/00]
Written Answers. - Defence Forces Ombudsman.
As I have indicated to the House on previous occasions, the question of the appointment of an ombudsman for the Defence Forces has been raised by PDFORRA under the conciliation and arbitration scheme for the permanent Defence Force. The terms of the scheme, which have been agreed with the association, provide that discussions at conciliation and arbitration are confidential to the parties involved. Accordingly, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment in detail on this issue.
However, I can say that, in the course of the ongoing discussions between my Department and PDFORRA on the agreement on the new Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, the association identified the question of the appointment of an ombudsman for the Defence Forces as an issue which they wished to have addressed. I have given an undertaking to explore this issue with them in the context of these negotiations which are ongoing. I have no doubt the Deputy will be aware that, pursuant to the provisions of the Ombudsman Act, 1980, military personnel may make complaints against my Department to the ombudsman appointed under that Act.
Revised complaints procedures for the Defence Forces were agreed with PDFORRA and RACO and implemented with effect from May 1996. The revised procedures provide for the appointment of an independent complaints inquiry officer to investigate grievances on behalf of the Minister. All complaints, other than the most trivial or vexatious, are referred to him by the Minister. The agreement also provided that the revised complaints procedures should operate on a trial basis for two years, after which a review of the procedures should take place. This review is now being undertaken by sub-committees of the conciliation council established for that purpose. I have no wish to interfere in their deliberations but I will say that it is vital that all members of the Defence Forces have confidence in the outcome of that review. It should not be beyond us to create a procedural formula for dealing with grievances that satisfies all concerned and at the same time maintains the ethos of the military way of life.